McDonald’s French Fries Might Cure Hair Loss, Reports Best Study Ever

Any well-versed French fry connoisseur will know that there are a lot of deep-fried potatoes out there. Some call ‘em chips. Others travel to the far corners of the Earth for the best “pomme frites.” But even the most elite of all fry experts will agree: McDonald’s has some of the best. And a recent study proves the golden arches’ superiority even further — for one totally unexpected reason.

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at Yokohama National University in Japan, an ingredient used in McDonald’s beloved potato sticks could potentially help cure baldness. The study, which was published in the Biomaterials journal, found that the ingredient dimethylpolysiloxane (an anti-foaming agent made of silicone added to the oil used to cook the famous fries) might open the door to improved hair regrowth therapies. In fact, it did just that for hairless mice.

But before you get too excited, there is a catch. First, this study was unfortunately conducted on animals and not all studies like this translate as successfully to humans. (Although the university’s researchers find this study “robust and promising” in aiding androgenic alopecia.) And second, the study also concluded that dimethylpolysiloxane alone won’t stimulate hair growth. In fact, it wasn’t used to stimulate the actual follicle rejuvenation, but to create hundreds of vessels in which the hair follicle germs (bio-engineered follicles) could grow.

So while this doesn’t mean you should DIY your own hair mask out of leftover grease, this does offer up an intelligent comeback the next time someone says you shouldn’t super-size that fry.